Generation 1 Chapter 11: Amani Vista

 

Walking up the front porch steps, I couldn’t help but smile. My life was amazing, it nearly resembled perfection. I have a loving husband and two adorable children, what more could I ask for? Not to mention the ultrasound had gone flawlessly, the baby was growing right on track and appeared to be perfectly healthy. I had my dream job, and a flourishing home. In fact, Concord had dropped me off at home so he could head out and order some lumber for additional extensions. 

 

“Amani, you’re home so soon!” Brock greeted as I stepped through the doorway. “How’d the appointment go?”

“Great, no problems as of now,” I remarked, patting my stomach. 
“That’s phenomenal news!” he agreed, a bit too enthusiastically.
“So how were the kids?”
“What kids?” he asked, staring intently at something on my face.
I whipped out a tissue and wiped my noise before laughing, “You know… Bee. Amanda.” 
“Only joking!” he smiled. “They were… very understanding and cooperative.”

 

“That’s great! Well, I’m just going to go pop in and say hi, then,” I announced, heading in the direction of their room.

Abruptly, Brock grabbed my shoulders and spun me around, “What do you say we, uh, just sit out hear? And talk?”
Frightened by his firm grasp, I obliged, “S-sure.”

 

He hastily led me to the couch where he propped me down next to him. Unsure of how to react, I sat there in the awkward silence, contemplating what to do.

“This is…” Brock started, trailing off with a smile.
“Excessively weird?” I finished bluntly.
“I was going to say romantic,” he corrected.  

 

My eyes nearly bugged out of my head, and I blinked repeatedly to make sure the scene in front of me was actually realistic rather than a figment of my imagination. “Excuse me?”

“What? Come on, you can’t tell me you don’t think this is romantic! Just you… Me… And this couch…”
“Brock, I’m married,” I declared, stressing the last word heavily.  

 

“No one says you can’t still have a little fun,” he flirted, inching closer.

I immediately bolted out of my seat, “Actually, you know what, I did. In my vows, on my wedding day, which you attended!”
“Please, no one actually follows through with that crap. Do you need me to remind you about the current divorce rate in our country?”
A sudden cry sounded from the girls’ room in response to the insult, “Mommy! Mom, help us! Please, Mom! Please!”

 

“What did you do to them?” I gasped, sprinting to their bedroom. 

“Amani, wait, I can explain!” Brock begged, standing up and racing after me. Before I had the chance to reach their room, Brock restrained me from behind. “It doesn’t have to be this way, Amani.” He spun me around, dipping me as if we were in the middle of a dance routine. Hungrily, he began to lean it to kiss me, his hands slowly slipping lower and lower down my back. Reacting on pure instinct, I took a supporting hand away from his back and punched him where the sun don’t shine. 
That sure got an immediate reaction. Instantly, he dropped me, and proceeded to fall backwards into the wall. As if the pain I had just inflicted wasn’t enough, he banged his head against the wall, knocking him unconscious instantaneously. Thankfully, I was prepared for my landing, and caught myself on my elbows and forearms.  

Three hours and a lengthy interrogation with Bee and the police later, Brock left our house with multiple child and sexual abuse charges. I can’t believe I had actually once been friends with such a deranged, conceited man…

All that matters now, though, is that my family and I are together and safe from once less creep in the world.

Generation 1 Chapter 10: Amani Vista

 

“Honey,” I called, absent-mindedly caressing my stomach, “We’re going to need to find someone to watch the kids while we go to the ultrasound this afternoon.”

“Why not call Albany? We always do,” Concord answered.
“She’s out of town at a business convention.”
“How about your parents, then?”
“You’re joking, right?”
“Well who do you suggest?”
I sighed, “Brock?”

 

“I want Auntie Albany!” Bee squealed. Her small frame emerged from her bedroom, and she promptly stood in front of us. My, she’d gotten so big over the years… My first born was already in kindergarten! Where has the time gone?

Be thankful, my subconscious reminded myself. If she hadn’t gotten older, Concord would’ve never agreed to another little one.  

 

“I know, Sweetie, but Auntie Albany’s away for work. So she can’t come,” I explained as she pouted.

“Amani, you know I don’t like that guy,” Concord stated, returning to our previous conversation.
“I know, Concord. But who else do we have? It’s not like we have an endless supply of friends to pick from.”
“Fine,” he mumbled.  

 

As the day progressed and our appointment neared, Concord was growing increasingly antsy about meeting up with Brock again. We both were, to be honest, after that whole engagement incident…

“You can go wait in the car, if you want to,” I suggested with a smile.
“Are you sure?” he questioned, evidently excited by the mere thought of it.
“Yeah, I’ll be quick with Brock. Promise.”
“Okay, I’ll see you in a few, then.”

 

Minutes later, the doorbell chimed, and Bee accompanied me in welcoming her babysitter.

“Amani,” Brock grinned, “It’s been so long.”
“Too long,” I agreed. “Thanks for coming on such short notice.”
“No problem,” he declared, stepping into our humble abode.

 

Once I finished introducing the girls and explaining the necessities, Bee enveloped me in a bear hug on my way out the door.

“Don’t go, Mommy,” she whispered in my ear. “I don’t like him.”
I stroked her hair and pleaded, “Just give him a chance, Sweetie.”

 

*   *   *   *   *

As her mother retreated into the car, Bee quickly huddled into her bedroom where her sister, Amanda, sat playing with her doll.

“I hope Mom comes back soon,” Bee confessed, picking Tubby up from where she’d last played with him on the floor.  
Time dragged by as the girls sat playing with their toys, making up imaginary scenarios to act out with their dolls. They two youngsters were completely oblivious to the man standing by the door, watching every move they made.

 

“You certainly know how to keep yourself busy,” Brock remarked, slowly walking closer to where they girls were playing.

Bee jumped, startled by the sitter’s sudden presence. “Um, yeah,” she answered. “We like to play with our friends a lot.” Maybe it was the way he was approaching them, but Bee didn’t feel as if the man was one to be trusted. She grabbed her younger sister and brought her close, not wanting to see the man hurt either of them.  

 

“Friends?” Brock scoffed. “Those rag dolls aren’t real, they can’t be your friends!”
“Take that back!” Bee demanded. “Tubby is too real!”

“Pwuzzle, twoo,” Amanda defended. 
“Such idiotic little brats!” Brock exclaimed. “But that’s to be expected from a girl as stupid as you, Bee. With your learning disability and all…” A tormenting smile spread across his face.

 

“All that means is I think things differently than everyone else!” Bee insisted, blinking back tears.

“Aw, is that what your Mommy told you?” Brock inquired, fake compassion ringing in his voice.
“Daddy too…”
“Well your wicked mother’s a liar! And your dad-!” Brock paused, an evil sparkle twinkling in his eye. “Your dad has been lying to you since the day you were born.”

 

“…What are you talking about…?” Bee whispered.

“I suppose Amani- your mother- has been hiding that from you, too.  Concord isn’t even your real father, that’s just what your parents want you to think. Morals, or come crap like that. I… Now, I’m your real father. The father of both you twerps, unfortunately,” Brock lied effortlessly.

 

“No! You’re the liar! There is no way you could ever be my father!” Bee spat.

Brock swung his hand across the child’s face, “Don’t ever use that tone with your father again! You understand?” The girl simply nodded. 

Generation 1 Chapter 9: Amani Vista

 

“Come on Bee, walk to Mommy,” I cooed, outstretching my arms.

 

I let out a good natured laugh as she plopped herself back down, demanding Tubby. “That’s okay,” I remarked with a smile, “We’ll give it another try tomorrow.” Patience is key regarding a child with a learning disability; something I picked up excessively quickly the moment Bee hit the toddler stage. I understood learning the basic building blocks of life were going to be difficult for her, but I had no idea they would be to this magnitude. Hopefully Concord and I will adjust seamlessly with time. 

 

Bee’s still insanely obsessed with the makeshift toy Albany bought for her when she was first born. Tubby, as Bee calls her. Thankfully, the doll keeps her preoccupied a hefty portion of the day, allowing Concord and I to occasionally catch up on our hobbies, sleep, or you know… with each other.

Ahem.  

 

Recently, Concord and I have discovered we’ll be welcoming another bundle of joy into the Vista family. I’ve been attempting to be more nurturing and cautious this pregnancy, eating prenatal vitamins as instructed and reading up on tips that promote a healthy delivery. When I’m not giving into my savory sweet cravings, I’m eating tons of veggies and keeping a balanced diet. In other words, salad has managed to become my new best friend. Concord is such a sweetheart, too, voluntarily making my meals and even accompanying me in my health kick.  

 

Concord’s been improving miraculously with his sculpting skills. He’s been exploring different materials, like ice and wood, rather than sticking to solely clay. Now he’s capable of making a wide variety of items, he even constructed an adorable little toy box for Bee! She loves passing the time playing inside the bin with Tubby and all of her other toys.  

 

As my stomach grew in size, Concord stepped it up a notch and began to tackle most of the chores that needed to be taken care of around the house. I felt awful that I was leaving all of the dirty work to him, but it’s not as if I had all that much of a choice. My ankles were double their natural size and my baby bump restricted me to minimal movement.  

 

Practically every aspect of my pregnancy was similar to when I was carrying Bee, besides the fact that I was much more health conscious. Concord was constantly placing his hands on my stomach, making promises to the little one inside of me. Whenever Concord would begin to talk, the baby would begin to kick, leading me to believe somebody was going to be very attached to their daddy…

 

Once Bee had grasped the concept of putting one foot in front of the other, Concord readily began to try teaching her some basic words. Unfortunately, she wasn’t having any of it, insisting Tubby meant every single word in the English dictionary. Oh well, hopefully she’ll learn with time.  

 

This time around, my contractions weren’t quite as painful, which was a good sign, I hoped. Concord yet again failed to be helpful, leaving me to steer myself in the direction of the hospital. I’m just thankful he remembered to call a baby sitter. Thinking of the alternative most definitely wasn’t heartwarming…  

 

Much to my delight, I delivered a perfectly healthy baby girl, Amanda.  

 

Deciding to brainwash yet another one of my children, Albany bought Amanda a doll very similar to Bee’s, whom she’d already named Puzzle.  

Perfect, just perfect…

 

With two toddlers on our hands, time was the last thing on our mind. But sure enough, Amanda’s first birthday had managed to creep up on us. The only thing she had inherited of mine was her hair color, everything else was Concord’s. She had his pure blue eyes and gorgeous tan skin tone. Not to mention that she already appeared to be taking after his devilish good looks…  

“Please, Concord? I really want to have two little boys! It would be just adorable to have two little clones of you running around the house!” I confessed. 

“I know, Amani. I get it. But we have two rambunctious toddlers running around, one with a learning disability. I think we need just focus on them for now. Maybe when Bee’s a little older, then we can try.”
“But when I’m pregnant, that’s almost an entire year. They’ll still be growing-!” Concord let out a sigh as I protested. My OCD was beginning to get the better of me… You need to think of everyone else, I reminded myself.

Generation 1 Chapter 8: Amani Vista

Married life was… fun. It technically wasn’t any different from when they two of us were just living together; the only change was that we now had an official title to our relationship. It was fun to wake up early and surprise Concord with a plate of pancakes, simply because I could. The feeling of knowing that this was the man I would spend the rest of my life with continued to warm my heart.
He was my forever.

Concord certainly stepped it up with his new husband role, insisting he fix anything that broke in the house. Why call a plumber when you have a more than willing husband?
Well, for one thing, they’ll get the job done right. The first time…

In the days following the wedding, we received quite a few generous wedding presents via mail. Some adorable picture frames, vases, outdoor accessories, Albany even gifted us a treadmill!
Wait… Is she trying to tell us something?

Just as I was about to get dressed for work one morning, a horrible wave of nausea passed over me. I sprinted to the bathroom, immediately propping my head over the toilet.
I felt awful after that episode, and Concord convinced me to take the day off. I reluctantly called in sick, and much to my dismay, Albany put up no protest whatsoever. 

I spent a majority of my day home writing thank you cards for all of our lovely wedding presents. Concord insisted I should lie down and get some rest, but we all knew that would never happen. I always have to be doing something productive.
Always.

Once I finished with those, I took to sculpting. It was great to resurface one of my hobbies; I’ve surprisingly really missed it. I’ve been so involved with Concord and my work lately that I’ve had absolutely no time to pursue some of my favorite pass times. 

As the weeks progressed and my nausea worsened, I finally agreed to visit a doctor. Much to my delight, I was pregnant!
Not only was I now responsible for myself, but I had to care of the little one inside of me, too!
When you put it into perspective like that, it makes you wonder if you’re doing everything in your power to keep the little one perfectly healthy…

Breaking the news to Concord was a piece of cake! At first, he was surprised, just like any other first time parent would be. Then the realization sunk in that he was going to be a father. He was beaming from ear to ear, promising himself he would be the best father ever.  

“Can I…?” he asked, motioning towards my stomach. I nodded eagerly in response. “Hi there little guy, I’m your daddy. I promise you, you’re going to have the best life your beautiful mother and I can give you.”
Something about what he said instantly knocked me back into reality. I was going to have to support this child… I was going to have to be a role model… I was going to have to be there for them one hundred percent of the time. Was I truly ready for this…?

During my pregnancy I spent a lot of time checking up on work and getting to know my coworkers better. The last thing I wanted was to be immensely far behind after I returned from maternity leave.  

Albany couldn’t have been more thrilled to know that her best friend was expecting. Practically every day after work she’d be on my doorstep begging to spend some quality time with her godchild.
Yeah, we’ve decided that she was going to be the godmother. I think she fits the role perfectly!
Anyways, she became nearly obsessed with my stomach, cooing words of encouragement and listening to every move and shift it made.  

Halfway through my pregnancy, I realized we needed to add a nursery onto the house. So I took advantage of Albany (hey, that’s what best friends do!) and insisted she help me decorate the room each day she visited. We settled on a green, considering we weren’t finding out the baby’s gender. The wallpaper we selected though did have flowers… I think both of us were silently praying for a little girl.
The addition actually wasn’t as stressful as I expected it to be, Albany made sure to keep it lively and entertaining. Countless times we ended up just fooling around rather than getting any work done…

What had started off as my little house was now adapt for three, and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. Despite the way my parents had treated me, I’ve managed to discover a path in life that’s treated me exceptionally well.

  Painting helped pass the long days of my pregnancy as well, enabling me to spend hours working on a portrait before I even thought about my swollen ankles or tight back. It was great to have something you could get so easily absorbed in.

Soon enough, though, contractions were paying me a visit. As the two of us were heading to sleep one night, they became increasingly painful and I couldn’t help but stand up and let out a scream.  

Concord was no help whatsoever during my labor pains. He stood there flipping out, dancing in circles, and just plain out forgetting he had a perfectly useful brain.
Men these days…

A few hours later I emerged from the hospital the proud mother of a baby girl, Bee. 

Things weren’t perfect, however. Doctors reported that my little angel has a slight learning disability that won’t take full control of her life, but is still severe enough that it’ll make an impact. Of course, Concord and I are responsible for assisting her where she sees necessary, which we have no issue with whatsoever.  
But along with the diagnosis came an emotional toll. It was my fault she hadn’t been born perfectly healthy. My fault.  

Concord was a natural at parenting, knowing whether she was hungry or simply wanted attention instantaneously. Often times, I’d hear her bawling and rush into the nursery only to find her already in my husband’s arms giggling up a storm.  

It felt like a year flashed before our eyes, because before we knew it, Bee was an adorable toddler. She inherited Concord’s light brown hair, but my vivid green eyes and pale skin tone. It’s too early to tell who she’ll take after structurally, but I have a strong feeling she’s going to look just like her mother.

Thankfully, patience was one of Bee’s many gifts, making dealing with her disability slightly easier. Things like potty training and learning how to walk were going to take her longer to learn then most others her age, but she seemed more than willing to tackle things one battle at a time. 
   

When we first brought Bee home from the hospital, Albany had given her an adorable, rickety doll who Bee promptly named Tubby. In fact, it’s the only word she can currently say…
Bee loves that doll more than anything; she takes it everywhere she goes! She just can’t seem to let it leave her side.

“Concord, it’s driving me insane!” I complained one evening.
“What’s that, Sweetie?”
“Having a daughter, but no son. It needs to be balanced. You know me…”
“Then let’s get right on that, then,” he flirted.